Got this in the mail today. There's a lot more real folk instrumentation and less of a reliance on synthesized stuff, mostly because of the addition of a full time fiddle player. It seems like Darken is experimenting more with dynamic variations in the style of Romantic classical music, but the whole album still has a very medieval/meditative feel to it. The greater depth of layering and variety of sounds that first surfaced on the Cold Winter Blades EP makes itself known here as well. Seems damn good overall so far, but I've only given it one listen.

I've had this for a few weeks now, and I've got to say that it's absolutely worth buying if you enjoyed Atlantean Monument. I really like how Darken can really own something so simple as a synth patch, like those Valkyrian choirs. It used to be just a setting on a Yamaha or whatever, but ever since Darken found it, it's the Graveland choir. He does a really good job exploring all the ways you can use a particular synth patch. The earliest he did this was with the horns on Celtic Winter: those really low trumpets. A shit-ton of other bands tried to copy that sound (e.g. Nargaroth's first album), but it's still the Graveland horn. On the newest Lord Wind, the main synth patch he uses is this weird harp/guitar thing (don't know the name), and once again, he does it really well.

Been listening to this all day. So far, absolutely great. The new organic instruments give it some mellowness and allow him to slow down sometimes. It's less robotic in general.

I still wish he'd drop or de-emphasize the drums even more, and the movie sample at the beginning of track eight is not a really good idea. But the rest is probably his best work. Hope this one makes it into stores.

My only complaint so far is the movie sample, it just makes me think about Conan for the rest of the album, rather than focusing on the music. This is definently the most Conan The Barbarian soundtrack sounding album he has produced to date, especially with Cult of Seth and Temple of Snakes.